Design is all around us, infusing all areas of our lives from the clothes we wear and art we appreciate to the sports that we support and music that moves us. For its commitment to using design as a social, cultural and economic development tool, the City of Cape Town has been awarded the prestigious title of World Design Capital (WDC) 2014 and is the first African city to have been given the honour.
The overall theme of WDC 2014 is ‘Live design. Transform Life’ and refers to transforming Cape Town, through design, into a sustainable, productive African city, bridging historic divides and building social and economic inclusion. To ignite the imagination of the public and to contribute towards a greater understanding of the multifaceted nature of design, all are invited to experience and interact with the approximately 485 design-driven projects and events that have been officially recognised by and form part of the WDC programme. These have been specifically selected for their ability to demonstrate tangible evidence of how design can improve lives.
Some of these projects were recently exhibited at the Design Indaba Expo, the biggest curated design event in the Southern Hemisphere, took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Projects exhibiting at the Design Indaba Expo included:
#WDC263 – The South African Post Office: To commemorate WDC Cape Town 2014, the Post Office will be launching a set of five self-adhesive stamps at Design Indaba, each of which features a different design to reflect the four themes of WDC2014 as well as the overarching theme of Live Design. Transform Life.
#WDC268 – Mercedes Benz Fashion Week: Africa Fashion International′s (AFI) annual Spring/Summer fashion platform showcases some of the Cape′s and South Africa′s best established and emerging designers.
#WDC344 – Stable: To provide a bridging platform where South African design may be accessed locally and internationally, Stable offers designers, artists and artisans a physical, collaborative exhibition space where they have the opportunity to showcase their work. #WDC344
#WDC454 – ColourIkamva: Wanting to reframe the learning environment and provide a creative and nurturing environment fosters interest and growth among learners, the project uses creativity to reinvent and redesign the way schools affect learners in underprivileged communities around South Africa.
#WDC469 – Yenza: Make It! To create awareness of the full scope of design making in South Africa, the project entails the innovative exhibition and cataloguing of self-made objects found in self-made homes.
#WDC576 – SA Furniture Design Exhibition: Featuring collaborative pieces by some of our best local designers and manufacturers, the Exhibition is aimed at promoting local design and bridging the gap between furniture designers and makers.
#WDC579 – Jigsaw SA Furniture Design Competition: This project aims to promote local designers and manufacturers in the furniture industry by enabling their creative visions to be crafted into well-made products that offer excellent commercial and social value.
#WDC660 – Shift Stellenbosch: A collaborative public programme of events, workshops, performances, exhibitions and talks are to be held in Stellenbosch during summer 2014. Through this SHIFT will create a platform that brings together members of the greater Stellenbosch community to use design thinking as a catalyst for transformation and overcoming historic divides.
There are also a number of legacy projects that will continue beyond the year-long WDC celebrations. For Cape Town and its citizens, 2014 is just the beginning of a better city by design. Cape Town was designated World Design Capital 2014 at the International Design Alliance (IDA) Congress in October 2011 in Taipei. This prestigious designation is bestowed biennially by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). World Design Capitals recognise the value of design thinking, and are dedicated to using design as tool for social, cultural and economic development. Previous winners have been Helsinki, Seoul and Turin, and Cape Town won the 2014 bid against fierce competition from rival shortlisted cities, Bilbao and Dublin.